Slack-adjuster for car-brakes



(No Model.)

F. J COLE. SLACK ADJUSTER FOR GAR BRAKES.

- No. 481,784. Patented Aug. 30, 1892.

IIVVEWTOR BY f/mz/ 4 0 ATTOR/VEKQ ll'NrTn STATES PATENT nnrcn.

SLACK-ADJUSTER FOR CAR-BRAKES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 481,784, dated August 30, 1892.

Application filed April30, 1892- Serial No. 431,320. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS J. COLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Clare, in the city of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented certain.

new and useful Improvements in Automatic Slack-Adjusters forRailroad-OarBrake Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved method of automatically adjusting the travel or movement of the piston, rods, &c., of air and other power brakes, whereby the gradual increase of travel due to the wearing away of the brakeshoes is taken up by automatically moving the dead brake-lever of the truck by the motion of the pull-rod connected to thelive brake-lever.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents alongitudinal sectional view of a car-truck, showing the adjuster in position. Fig. 2 represents a side view of the adjuster. Fig. 3 represents a vertical sectional view of Fig. 2 on line as m. Fig. 4 represents a perspective View of the take-up pawl. Fig. 5 represents a perspective view of one form of the take-up-rod connection. Fig. 6 is a perspective View of another form of take-up-rod connection.

A is the brake pull-rod connected to the live brake-lever B.

O is the dead brake-lever.

D is the brake-lever guides.

E is a section of the brake pull-rod provided with cross-arms F F, or, as shown in Fig. 6, E may be a link.

Gis a lever with its fulcrum at its lower end formed by the pin H passing through it and the brake-leverguides D D. As shown in Fig. 3, the lever G has a circular opening I in its upper end, through which passes the section of the pull-rod E. The cross-arms F F on the section of pull-rod E are made long enough to prevent the ring I from passing beyond them.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of section of brake pull-rod consisting of a link, andthe lever G is provided with two crossbars, which are of such a length that they will not pass through the link.

J is a slotted opening in the lever G.

K is a foot on the lever G to carry the spring L, which bears upon the under side of the guide D and maintains it in the position shown in Fig. 2.

M is a pawl secured loosely to the lever G by means of the pin N.

O is a link-pawl secured loosely to the guide D outside of the lever G by means of the pin H.

P is a rack with teeth out on its upper edge and inclined away from the dead brakelever, secured loosely at one end to the upper end of deadlever G by the pin Q and the other end passing through the slot in the lever G and below the pawl M. The parts comprising this arrangement are the lever G, with its spring L and pins Hand N, the lever-pawl M, the pawl O, the rack P and its pin Q, and the section of brake pull-rod E.

The other parts referred to are common to the ordinary railroad-truck.

The operation is as follows: The distance between the cross-arms F F of the pull-rod section E, or the ends of the link E, less the thickness of the upper part of the lever G, is arranged to equal the desired amount of travel which the brake-rod A should have normally. As long as the brakes are applied with a movement of the pull-rod Ain the direction of the arrow above said rod, less than the amount required to bring the cross-arm F in contact with the upper part of the le ver G, no movement of the adjusting apparatus takes place. WVhen the travel increases, owing to the wearing away of the brake-shoes the cross-arm F will engage the lever G and move it forward,and the pawl M will drop into another notch. hen the brakes are released, the rod A will move back unrestricted until the cross-arm F engages the opposite side of the lever G, moving it backward a corresponding distance to the amount it was moved forward by the cross-arm F. This pulls the dead-lever 0 forward by means of the pawl M and the rack P and allows the take-up pawl O to drop into another notch, thus automatically adjusting the brakes as soon as the wear takes place. The function of the spring L is to offer a slight resistance to the movement of the lever G while the brakes are being applied, and the cross-arm F consequently withdrawn from its normal position in contact with the lever G. Without this spring the lever G might by the jolting and jarring of the truck be moved forward and take up the slack before it was necessary. Any other location of spring could be employed for the same purpose.

What I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a brake-shoe-adj usting device for railroad-car trucks, the combination of the dead brake-lever, a rack-bar connected to the upper end of the dead brakedever and by which it may be moved, a pawl pivoted to a stationary part of the truck and engaging and holding the rack, alever also pivoted to a stationary part of the truck and provided with a pawl which also engages the rack-bar, and the pull-rod of the brake mechanism, provided with attachments for engaging and moving the pivoted lever when the brakes are applied and released, the lever and its pawl moving the rack-bar, and its stationary pawl holding it at the point to whichitis moved by the lever.

2. In a brake-shoe-adjusting device for railroad-car trucks, the combination of the dead brake-lever, abar connected to the upper end of said dead brake-lever and by which it may be moved to adjust the shoes, a lever pivoted to a stationary part of the truck and provided with means for engaging, moving, and holding the bar of the dead brake-lever, the pull bar of the brake mechanism, provided with attachments for engaging and moving the pivoted lever, as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a brake-shoe-adj usting device for railroad-car trucks, the combination of the dead brake-lever, abar connected to the upper end of said dead brake-lever and by which it may be moved to adjust the shoes, a gripping mechanism secured to astationary part of the truck and engaging and holding the bar when adjusted, a lever pivoted to a stationary part of the truck and provided with means for engaging and moving the bar of the dead brakelever, the pull-bar of the brake mechanism, provided with attachments for engaging and moving the pivoted lever, as and for the purpose specified.

Signed at Baltimore city and State of Maryland, this 29th day of April, A. D. 1892.

FRANCIS J. COLE. \Vitnesses:

J NO. '1. MADDOX, H. MAGGARTHY. 

